Coworking for freelancers

“Freelance: doing particular pieces of work for different organizations, rather than working all the time for a single organization”. This is how the Cambridge Dictionary defines the concept of freelance. Don’t you think it’s way more than that? I think was. In my opinion, freelancer is the synonymous of free worker. And for that reason, I think that coworking is the best option possible for freelancers.

Pictures by Vera Garcia

“Freelance: doing particular pieces of work for different organizations, rather than working all the time for a single organization”. This is how the Cambridge Dictionary defines the concept of freelance. Don’t you think it’s way more than that?

Historically, Spain has been a country where self-employment has played an important role in the economy. The economic crisis of 2008 caused a rise in the number of self-employed due to the increase in redundancies and the lack of labor supply. This trend stopped in 2012 and has come down to the present day. However, since then the number of young self-employed has remained the same. Today, 6.5% of workers under the age of 30 are self-employed, being the eighth EU country.

“Increasingly, freelancers need to optimize their efforts and time to devote 100% to their projects. And many of them find in coworking an ideal means to develop their talent.”

In recent years, we have seen how in sectors such as communication, marketing, technology and consulting the trend of self-employment has spread. Or to be freelance, as you prefer.

Behind this concept sometimes hide challenges, worries and difficulties that if you have always worked for someone else may not sound right to you. Increasingly, freelancers need to optimize their efforts and time to devote 100% to their projects. And many of them find in coworking an ideal means to develop their talent. Here’s what they find:

Flexibility

When you’re a freelancer, it’s likely that no day, week, or month will do the same as before, at the same times, in the same space, and in the same way. The flexibility of coworking is a factor highly valued by freelancers, as it adapts to each project and person according to their needs.

“I find it almost impossible to work from home, to focus on my work and household chores at the same time. I need a space dedicated to work, and without distractions”

Creative environments

Coworkings are usually located in open and bright spaces, which encourages the creativity and well-being of their community. Having a space to focus 100% on work promotes concentration and productivity. This is especially important in post-Covid times. According to Lynne McIntyre, psychotherapist, researcher and coworker at CREC Eixample, it is very difficult to reconcile her work with family life. “As a working mother, I find it almost impossible to work from home, to focus on my work and household chores at the same time. I need a space dedicated to work, and without distractions,” she says.

Another example is found in Nicola Mesken, a freelance photographer established at CREC Poble Sec for seven years who believes that “after working alone at home, it was a great change socially enjoyable, because it can connect with different people and better separate work life from leisure time.”

Diversity of spaces

The flexibility of coworking also has to do with the diversity of spaces that freelancers have at their disposal. Whether they have a fixed or flexible space, coworkers can make use of all common areas and rooms equipped with everything needed to meet with collaborators and clients in person or online. Being able to enjoy differentiated spaces at home is becoming increasingly difficult, even more so in cities.

“Coworking is not a simple workspace, but its great asset is the connections and synergies that are generated between the people who make it up.”

Community

Belonging to a community of professionals from various fields opens up a wide range of possibilities for you to develop your professional project. Coworking is not a simple workspace, but its great asset is the connections and synergies that are generated between the people who make it up. “With the help of other coworkers, I’ve learned things that allow me to provide a broader and better service to my clients. Constant learning is essential today, and if a coworking partner can tell me, I will gladly return the favor and we will exchange know-how“, comments Nicola Mesken.

This “startup environment”, as Jean-Paul Devai, entrepreneur and coworker at CREC Eixample, calls it, allows projects to grow more quickly and efficiently. In fact, new companies may emerge, as has happened with Duit Studio after the fusion between Marta Vázquez and Helena Feliu, or the new society between Atomic 4 and Agencia Gourmet at CREC Coworking.

A part from the professional subject, don’t work alone and feel covered by other coworkers and Community Builders can be so helpful. “Share the space with other people who work in their own projects it’s so inspirational and encourage me to focus on mi job”, explains Lynne McIntyre.

Tailor-made rates

The economic aspect is also important when choosing your workspace. Faced with the rigidity of traditional offices, coworking rates are tailored to the needs of each person or company. Oh, and all this without incurring expenses for electricity, water, heating, maintenance or the internet.